The Pokemon Cafe is one of the most difficult places to get a reservation in Japan (followed closely by the Ghibli Museum and the Harry Potter experience.)
So I wanted to share some tips to help you plan and reserve the Pokemon Cafe in Japan in advance:
1. Reservations on weekends and national holidays (such as golden week) are even trickier than normal. Plan around these dates where possible.
2. The Osaka branch of the cafe is easier to book than the Tokyo branch. If you are visiting both cities, try and adjust accordingly.
3. Some people swear by paying for a third party booking service (such as VIP Pokemon Cafe Booking) to arrange the tickets for you.Please do your research and make sure the sites are legitimate. There is also another company called Little Circle 100 that can make reservations on your behalf.
If you miss out on Pokemon Cafe seats:
1. Remember that the food at the cafe is cute to look at but doesn’t actually taste good (character or themed cafes rarely do.)
2. You can try your luck and go to the cafe before it opens to see if that have any vacancies or cancellations (although this is risky business)
3. Think outside the box and go for other Pokemon themed options. For example, Pokemon Sweets in Ikebukuro offers take out and the desserts are all Pokemon themed. I also recommend visiting the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo anyway as the merchandise store there is big and that section of Sunshine City Department Store has lots of Pokemon decorations and statues.
4. There is some Pokemon merch sold at Pokemon Shops in Character Street underneath Tokyo Station.
I’ve put this tip in my “What to Pack for Japan with Kids” blog post, but if you or your kids are into finding Pokemon while out and about in Japan, then make sure you have your PokemonGo app ready to go ! Sometimes when using it in a new country you will need to reset the app before it will work (tip: there are lots and lots of Pokemon to find in Sunshine City Ikebukuro.)
See here for information on booking a Pokemon themed hotel room.
EXTRA TIP FOR POKEMON LOVERS (ON A BUDGET) EXPLORING SHINJUKU!!!
Take the train for 5 mins to Nakano Station on the Chuo Line and walk for 350 metres to Nakano Broadway. The second floor of the Nakano Broadway Mall has a Mandarake store – in here you can find binders and binders of cheap pokemon cards – and you can choose the cards you need!
The Pokemon Store DX near Tokyo Station requires a reservation ahead of time. They also sell limited edition Pikachu stuffed toys.
The Pokemon Stores DX in Osaka and Kyoto also sell limited edition Pikachu stuffed toys.
The Pokemon Store DX in Shibuya does not require a reservation but it is the most crowded.
*All of these stores offer a tax free option for tourists who spend more than 5500 yen- you must show your passport.
I, personally, am not into pokemon merch but I did almost purchase these make up sponges at the Pokemon Center Shibuya.
